Finance 19 February 2026

PayPal stock holds near $47 after Stripe takeover report — what investors watch next
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PayPal stock holds near $47 after Stripe takeover report — what investors watch next

PayPal shares closed up 0.6% at $47.32 Wednesday, then slipped 0.3% after hours as takeover speculation swirled. Bloomberg reported Stripe is weighing a bid for PayPal or its assets, though both firms declined comment. PayPal also announced a partnership with Rainforest to expand embedded payments. CEO Enrique Lores is set to take over March 1 after Alex Chriss’s ouster.
February 26, 2026
Uber stock price edges higher as $100 million robotaxi charging push lands on investors’ screens
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Uber stock price edges higher as $100 million robotaxi charging push lands on investors’ screens

Uber shares rose 0.2% to $72.89 Thursday after the company announced a $100 million investment in autonomous-vehicle charging hubs, starting in the Bay Area, Los Angeles, and Dallas. Uber also expanded a partnership with Life360 for family travel and struck a deal with Intuit for free TurboTax rides. In Europe, French authorities raided taxi operator G7 after a complaint from Uber.
February 19, 2026
Gasoline futures jump on big U.S. stock draw as traders brace for spring pump-price season
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Gasoline futures jump on big U.S. stock draw as traders brace for spring pump-price season

U.S. gasoline futures rose 1.7% to about $2.00 a gallon Thursday after government data showed a 3.2 million barrel drop in stockpiles, far exceeding forecasts. Crude prices also climbed as traders tracked U.S.-Iran tensions. Refinery utilization hit 91%, the highest in a month. AAA reported the average U.S. pump price at $2.92 a gallon, steady from last week.
February 19, 2026
US economic calendar today: S&P 500 slips as jobless claims fall, Blue Owl shakes private credit
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US economic calendar today: S&P 500 slips as jobless claims fall, Blue Owl shakes private credit

The S&P 500 fell 0.4% in afternoon trading, led lower by financials and chip stocks. Blue Owl Capital’s asset sale and fund freeze triggered a drop in private-equity shares. Weekly jobless claims dropped to 206,000, while the Philly Fed’s factory index stayed positive but showed weaker employment. The U.S. trade deficit widened to $70.3 billion in December, well above forecasts.
February 19, 2026
Bitcoin price slips near $66,000 as Fed minutes and ETF outflows keep traders cautious
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Bitcoin price slips near $66,000 as Fed minutes and ETF outflows keep traders cautious

Bitcoin dropped 1% to $66,459 Thursday amid continued outflows from U.S. spot bitcoin ETFs and uncertainty over Federal Reserve rate policy. The dollar strengthened after jobless claims fell, while ether slid 2.6% to $1,923. Fed minutes showed officials open to possible rate hikes if inflation persists. Traders await Friday’s U.S. PCE inflation report.
February 19, 2026
Mortgage rates today: 30-year slips to 6.01% as inflation test nears; housing stocks fall
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Mortgage rates today: 30-year slips to 6.01% as inflation test nears; housing stocks fall

Freddie Mac reported the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate fell to 6.01%, its lowest since September 2022. Mortgage applications rose last week, driven by a jump in refinancing, according to MBA data. Homebuilder stocks and housing ETFs traded lower as investors awaited Friday’s inflation data. Pending home sales dropped in January despite improved mortgage affordability.
February 19, 2026
XRP price slides 5% despite SocGen stablecoin move on XRP Ledger — traders eye inflation data
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XRP price slides 5% despite SocGen stablecoin move on XRP Ledger — traders eye inflation data

XRP dropped 4.8% to $1.39 Thursday, tracking declines in bitcoin and ether as traders weighed mixed signals from the Federal Reserve. Societe Generale’s SG-FORGE launched its euro stablecoin on the XRP Ledger with Ripple’s custody support. U.S. jobless claims fell to 206,000, below forecasts. EUR CoinVertible has 69.8 million euros in circulation, backed 1:1 by cash.
February 19, 2026
Dow Jones today: DJIA slides as financials wobble and a key inflation report nears
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Dow Jones today: DJIA slides as financials wobble and a key inflation report nears

The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 236 points to 49,426 by late morning Thursday, led lower by financials and chip stocks after Blue Owl Capital froze redemptions at a fund. Deere shares surged over 12% on a raised profit outlook. Weekly jobless claims fell to 206,000, while the U.S. trade deficit widened to $70.3 billion. Federal Reserve minutes showed officials split on future rate moves.
February 19, 2026
Southern Company stock jumps as $81 billion spending plan targets data-center power demand
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Southern Company stock jumps as $81 billion spending plan targets data-center power demand

Southern Co shares rose about 3% to $93.79 Thursday after the utility raised its five-year capital spending plan to $81 billion, citing surging power demand from data centers. The company forecast 2026 adjusted profit of $4.50 to $4.60 per share, slightly below Wall Street estimates. Fourth-quarter adjusted earnings missed expectations as operating expenses climbed nearly 15%.
February 19, 2026
Salesforce (CRM) stock slips after Momentum deal as Wall Street braces for earnings
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Salesforce (CRM) stock slips after Momentum deal as Wall Street braces for earnings

Salesforce shares fell about 1% to $185.98 midday Thursday after the company announced a deal to acquire Momentum, a platform for analyzing voice and video sales calls. The acquisition aims to enhance Agentforce and Slackbot capabilities. Investors await Salesforce’s Feb. 25 earnings report for signs that new AI products are driving growth. The transaction is expected to close in early fiscal 2027.
February 19, 2026
Omnicom stock jumps 13% after $5 billion buyback and IPG deal lift results — what’s next
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Omnicom stock jumps 13% after $5 billion buyback and IPG deal lift results — what’s next

Omnicom shares surged 13.5% to $79.62 after the company announced a $5 billion buyback and doubled its cost-synergy target to $1.5 billion following the Interpublic acquisition. Quarterly revenue reached $5.53 billion, beating estimates, while adjusted earnings missed forecasts. Investors await further details at Omnicom’s March 12 investor day.
February 19, 2026
AppLovin stock price ticks up as report points to homegrown social network plan
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AppLovin stock price ticks up as report points to homegrown social network plan

AppLovin shares rose 0.3% to $405.42 Thursday after a Bloomberg report said the company is preparing a social networking platform. Job postings reference building a global, consumer-facing feed product. AppLovin recently sold its gaming business to Tripledot Studios for $400 million and reported Q4 revenue of $1.658 billion. Board member Herald Y. Chen converted 150,000 Class B shares and gifted 100,000 Class A shares.
February 19, 2026
Oracle stock price rises as AI data-center power deals keep ORCL in focus
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Oracle stock price rises as AI data-center power deals keep ORCL in focus

Oracle shares rose 1.1% to $157.93 in late-morning trading Thursday, extending gains after a sharp drop earlier in the week. The move followed news of a long-term DTE Energy deal to supply 1.4 gigawatts of power to Oracle’s planned Michigan data center. Michigan regulators approved the contract with conditions to protect other customers. Investors await Oracle’s March update for signals on spending and cloud demand.
February 19, 2026
Lumentum stock jumps nearly 5% as Wall Street keeps raising targets on AI optics demand
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Lumentum stock jumps nearly 5% as Wall Street keeps raising targets on AI optics demand

Lumentum shares climbed 4.9% to $623.32 by late morning Thursday after Mizuho raised its price target to $645, citing strength in AI-driven data-center optics. The company recently reported quarterly revenue of $665.5 million and forecast up to $830 million for the current quarter. SEC filings showed two executives sold shares under pre-set trading plans. Investors await management appearances later this month for updates.
February 19, 2026
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